The man walked up the caves, still carrying the boy his wooden sandals clacked against the stone floor as he walked up the steps of the caves and his straw hat bounced with each step. It didn’t take long for the man to finally reach the land level where the bustling roads of people walking around and going to their huts, carrying bags of apples, bananas, coconuts, and other fruits, others carrying wheat or freshly washed clothes. Most people were wearing traditional robes and baggy clothes, fit for the rays of the sun that were laying upon the island and giving its nice warmth of the day, kids were seen playing around, mostly throwing apples at each other to catch just for fun. Most Kids turned around to see the Man, or rather the local Fisher who was named Jon Korn. Jon Simply waved the kids off as they kept bombarding him with questions.
“Will ya kids just go back to ya, mamas and papas?! I’m not getting questioned here by y’all brats now!” Jon said with his usual heavy accent, trying to make them leave him alone as they usually never did. “But we wanna see who that boy is carrying!” One of the kids said a short brown-haired and light-tanned girl, pouting as she put her hands on her hips. “Yea! He looks very interesting!” Another kid pops up, being a boy this time, a bit taller and more dark-skinned like the adults of the Islands.
Jon just kept walking, ignoring them as he grumbled to himself, still having the boy over his shoulder as he walked the dry dirt paths of the islands. The trees rustled as their bright green leaves dropped bits of water droplets they contained. Jon continued to walk until he came across the main area of the huts, he walked into the center and walked to the small hut which was located Northwest of the main center of the island, inside was an old frail lady with white silver hair and old adorned robes, which were colored in many different tropical colors in a downward line, she was seen working around in her little workshop, taking herbs and crystals and grinding them up to make all sorts of powders. “Uhm… Lady Golo…?” Jon called out, trying not to be rude or loud, as he peeked into the hut, looking at her short and slender frame move with swiftness before finally stopping and turning to Jon, her eyes a deep gray which indicated her blindness. “What is it this time Fisher?” The Old lady said, her frail yet rather harsh voice rolling off her dry lips as she put her hands on her hips, simply staring into Jon’s soul with those deep gray eyes of hers. “It’s this boy, I found him…” Jon thought for a bit before continuing… “Yeah I found him on the shore, I need you to check up on him… Do you know? Make sure he’s healthy and all of that…”
A small droplet of sweat ran down Jon’s forehead as he felt the intense gaze of Lady Golo, Lady Golo just sighed before pointing at the small bed to lay the boy down for now. Jon sighed, walking over and laying the boy on the bed before taking his leave, simply not wanting to be in the presence of Lady Golo, more known as the WitchCrafter of the Island. Lady Golo walked swiftly to the boy, checking his temperature and everything, slowly but surely she walked over, grabbing some Grass herbs and green crystals before starting to smash them together, grinding them into a dark green powder. Slowly spreading it over the boy’s chest, with a simple breath, she could see the boy’s state without much trouble “GreenLoc Powder works like a charm…” Lady Golo said with a sigh as she let her blindness not give her troubles at all, letting the magical essence of the crystals and the connections given by the grass herbs let her see without any problem. The Boy’s health and state seemed to be fine, nothing troubling… although it was clear that this boy… seemingly had no source of origin, not a single trace of any bloodline or lineage that the old Lady knew… which was strange for an experienced WitchCrafter like her…
Suddenly, a tanned man came in, wearing the usual robes but a bit more tight, suited for combat, it had combat straps on his forearms and shins, along with heavy boots. He had fluffy black hair that was styled to be a bit pointy, dim blue eyes, and a slim physique, the man talked to Lady Golo with respect and maturity. “Lady Golo, may I ask what is all this commotion about this foreigner on our island? Is it certain that he poses no threat?” Lady Golo sighed, before speaking “Oh it’s nothing Roran, it is just this frail boy over here, even if he woke up and had bad intentions, he wouldn’t be able to do any damage! As frail as a stick! Hehe!” Lady Golo cackled, before starting to cough a bit as she put the blanket up to the boy’s neck, making sure he was nice and tidy in bed. “Be Careful Lady Golo, your health isn’t all that better now, you’re way too old to even walk at this point…” Roran said now, sighing as he hoisted his spear onto his shoulder, looking a bit worried for the old lady, yet she brushed it off with a chuckle before she kept moving around, simply moving the many colorful herbs and crystals. She soon took a large wood-like staff whose tip was curved into a crescent-like moon form, having a small bell hanging off the tip which made it stand in the center. She also took a necklace which was full of beads filled to the brim with very… interesting scents, which were multiple herbs ground down into powder-like usual. Roran simply scratched his nose, he was already used to the strong smell by now since it’s been a few years since he first met Lady Golo. As Lady Golo moved around the hut a bit more, the bells of her staff still jingling with each movement, she finally walked out as Roran walked alongside her, simply walking along as they both went out to do their daily duties.
As the sun slowly set, it wasn’t soon before the boy woke up, his eyes slowly opening to the warm rays of the orange sun on his face through the small opening of the hut, as he felt his body ache from his extremely long rest. As he shifted around, slowly putting his arm on the bed, and pushing himself up a bit as the blankets slowly started to slip off his torso, his eyes felt sore, his mind was a jumbled mess, the bed creaking due to its old planks. He looked around, noticing the workplace of the hut, the worktable being filled with many different colored herbs, all of different shapes and sizes, along with crystals and gems, all being colorful and rugged in terms of shape. The boy could smell the strong smell of the many grinded-up powders of many herbs and crystals, all stored in small wooden bottles with seals wrapped tightly with strings. There were stone bowls and large wooden grinders placed all over the place, along with the many colorful robes lined up and folded neatly on a small stool. A few hats were hanging off a small hanger near the stool, the boy finally moved his legs out of the bed, slowly slipping them onto the ground, as he heard the creak of the cold wooden planks underneath his bare feet. As he laid his hands on the bed, pushing himself up with the little strength he had, making himself finally stand up, he could feel his legs wobble a bit, as he looked around the place, he finally noticed his hands… which were covered in small cut scars and tears, it wasn’t the danger of the scars, it was simply unknown instinct of the boy, as he looked around the hut, moving his feet across the creaking planks of the hut as he looked for the nearest roll of cloth.
The boy finally moved towards the worktable, already smelling the familiar scents of the many small bottles of powder, as he bent down, slowly pulling open a creaking drawer, finding a roll of cloth, he took it, slowly wrapping it around his hands and forearms. The boy did not question the reason, it was simply his instinct, and he followed it as he was supposed to. After slowly wrapping the cloth tightly around his palms and the back of his hand, leaving his fingers exposed for some reason, along with wrapping up the half of his forearm, securing it tightly with an X knot. He slowly walked around the hut again, mostly peeking around until he noticed a small basket, which seemed to contain newly washed clothes… as he walked closer to it, he opened the lid, getting hit by the hard smell of freshly washed clothes with the smell of Lavender flowers which assaulted his numb nose. He looked around, digging through the basket before he found some robes that might fit him, he took them out, and laying them down he saw a lengthy baggy Shirt with its sleeves cut short to the elbow, baggy loose fitting, and a long white stash cloth. Slowly he began to dress himself up, using the long white cloth stash to tie it around his waist to keep his baggy clothes from slipping off him. The boy sighed, taking the rest of the roll of cloth, walking back to the bed with cracks along the floorboard as he sat on it, pulling his leg up, as he started to wrap the cloth around his foot, after wrapping it neatly and tying it into a X knot, he pulled up his other leg, doing the same thing.
He sighed now, seemingly more fitted for now… but for some reason, he felt like this was all too familiar to him, he just couldn’t know anything due to the jumbled mess his mind is right now, no memory of anything.
The boy finally moved towards the door blinds, sliding them open, he was hit with the warm and bright rays of the sun, and on instinct, he put up his hand to cover the sun so he could at least see a bit around him. As he took a few slow steps across the ground as he looked around, his eyes slowly adapted to the bright light. He looked down at his feet, noticing the dried-up dirt path now, as he took a few cautious steps, watching his feet as they moved across the dried-up dirt with soft crump sounds following the steps, he looked a bit up, slowly letting his sight take the beautiful forest around him. The green leaves shuffled with the soft wind blowing through them and the many branches. The boy continued to walk, encountering a split dirt path in which he thought about which way to take… He slowly started to go to the left side, and he continued to walk on, admiring the beauty of the forest, as the rays of the sun broke through the leaks to give it a nice warmth and light. As he continued to walk along the dirt path, the cloth wrapped around his feet protecting his feet from any further damage, he could hear the creaking and the sounds of the wild animals in the forest, continuing to walk without a noise. The boy finally encountered something interesting, as he saw something sticking out of a thick tree, he walked closer to it as the figure of a spear stabbed deep into the tree emerged. He looked at it, laying his hands on the smooth handle of it as he looked at how deep the spear had been struck. Considering his frail frame, it was no wonder that he had no chance to pull it out by force, the boy looked around the area… the tree was growing seemingly in a clearing in the grass, along with the many cuts in it simply said that it was used for training. Having no choice but to leave it. Instead, he looked around the clearing in the grass, finding a rock that was jagged enough, walking over the spear handle, he lifted the rock in his hand and smashed it against the handle. With each strike of the jagged rock, the timber of the handle slowly started to break enough, 2 strikes, 3 strikes, 4 strikes, at this point, the handle was barely hanging off, and the boy struck it one more time, 5 strikes. The wooden handle finally separated from the spearhead that was stuck deep in the oak of the tree. The boy reached down to the grass, picking up the handle amongst all the wood fragments as he looked upon it… he simply slid it into his stash he threw the jagged rock away as he continued on his way.
As Lady Golo made her way back to her hut, she slowly walked in as he finally sensed something, the boy was gone. Ladies Golo’s face grew stern as she looked around, poking around with her staff as she touched the empty roll of cloth, along with finding the basket in a mess. Lady Golo sighed, slowly walking around as she walked out of the tent again, Roran was simply waiting near the door, holding the spear to his shoulder as he scratched his chin. Noticing Lady Golo, he quickly spoke.
“What’s wrong Lady Golo? Seems like the frown of yours is even lower!” Roran quickly chuckled at his joke, covering it like it was a cough, yet Lady Golo replied with a stern voice “The boy is gone, he seemed to have left a few minutes ago…” Roran immediately peaked up at this, looking confused as he quickly shuffled himself inside the hut, looking around as he finally noticed “The hell… All the cloth is gone… and the basket is a mess! I told you we shouldn’t just accept random foreigners here…” Roran said, his face quickly turning stern as he gripped the wooden handle of his spear tightly.
Lady Golo only sighed as she smacked Roran on the back of the head with her staff, the bell jingling as Roran let out a small yelp “Roran…” Lady Golo said, letting the words hang off her lips for a second before speaking again “I recommend you be careful… from what I see here, the boy only chose the most efficient stuff, the clothes, and those black clothes… perfect for hiding himself…” Roran sighed simply rubbing the back of his head “Don’t worry, I’m not the chief of protection here for nothing! Now, I would ask for you to leave this in my hands Lady Golo” Roran said with a chuckle, and in a whisk he vanished, leaving Lady Golo sighing as she walked back into her hut, shutting the door.
The boy continued his walk across the forest, the wooden handle stuffed into the white stash as he moved his clothed feet across the dirt paths of the forest. His breath was light and gentle, savoring each breath given by the green leaves of each healthy tree, it was like breathing in the air after having breathed in only the fumes of a raging fire for far too long. It was rather refreshing for the boy, yet he felt like it was too calm… way too calm for his liking right now, he doesn’t know why he still has that instinct, it’s simply implemented into him. For now, he continued to walk through the dirt paths, he felt his stomach rumble as he sighed, looking around as he spotted a few apples hanging off the branches of the tree. He felt his stomach rumble with a deep roar as it shook his entire fragile body…. Maybe it was a good idea to eat first, which he did as he walked slowly to the tree, seeing as his short height wouldn’t allow him to reach the apples, he thought for a good minute. So slowly he pulled out his wooden handle now, before just throwing it at the apples… and completely missing, it was clear he was not a good shot at all just from this single moment. The boy sighed, slowly walking as he spotted the wooden handle among the grass before picking it up, and throwing it again, this time it was a bit closer but still not enough. He tried multiple times, continuing his challenge of getting that apple, until he finally got it, the stick striking the apple barely as it finally made it drop. The boy walked over and picked up the fresh red apple before taking a sweet bite out of it, the juices flooded his mouth as he chewed down not caring to wash it as he was finally able to eat something in so long. It was refreshing… Yet he could feel something wrong, before he knew it he quickly let go of the apple as he leaned back, suddenly a blur pierced the apple as a whistle followed before it struck straight into a tree, the only thing the boy could make out that he was in danger right now. Quickly shuffling he grabbed the wooden handle tightly and pulled it out of his stash before dashing back, yet he was not even given a second before another thing was thrown directly at him as he heard the same whistle, he could only lift the wooden handle as it pierced right into the wooden handle, he could see its sharp edge as he finally realized…. The metallic texture, the shard edges, the triangular shape, it wasn’t soon before he quickly realized that it was a throwing knife. He didn’t have enough time to think much about it before having to quickly duck as another one of those throwing knives was thrown, he could hear it whistle through the air as it pierced the tree behind him.
“Ya gotta be kidding me! There is no way you just dodged all of them, you got some instinct or what kid…?” Soon enough a figure emerged from the dense trees, holding that familiar spear as it was no other but Roran. Roran sighed, looking at the throwing knife the boy blocked with his wooden handle “Sorry to ruin your little apple break there, but we can’t just have you, some unknown foreigner, trail around here with a weapon eh?” Roran said with a chuckle, yet he could feel the boy’s tension did not ease at all which made him more suspicious of who he was… Roran quickly positioned himself, shifting his feet with the right one forward, as he held the spear lower with two hands… Before suddenly dashing as he quickly swung the spear upward as it cut through the air, the boy only barely managed to dodge backward as his clothed feet nearly slipped on the grass, Roran gripped the spear even tighter as he forced the spear into a downward strike now. The boy could only lift the wooden handle as he tried to move away “Oh you’re not getting away this time brat!” Roran said with a smile as he struck downwards, the spear easily cutting through the air as it struck the wooden handle of the boy. The sharp edge of the spear quickly made contact with the wooden handle, and in a clean movement, it cleaved right through it, cleaving a good chunk of the wooden handle from its side. ‘This brat is crafty…’ Roran thought for a second as his spear struck the ground, his eyes starting as the boy was trying his best to rebalance himself, still holding the wooden handle, ‘and quick too… he only made me cut a chunk and not cleave it entirely…’ Roran kept thinking, slowly ripping the spear from the ground as he kept his eyes locked on the boy. The only sound that was heard was the quiet rustles of the leaves and the chirping of certain brave birds that were still in the area even after the previous clash. Slowly Roran got into his position, shifting his feet again as he lowered the spear with his two hands. The boy breathed as he looked at his wooden handle, the throwing knife was still stuck in it, while the side was cleaved a bit due to Roran’s last strike. The boy slowly shifted the wooden handle 180 degrees around, making the throwing knife that was stuck into the wooden handle point forward now. Roran took one last deep breath as he dashed into the fight again, he quickly thrusts the spear forward straight for the boy’s side, yet the boy barely managed to lean sideways as it pierced through his clothing, but the second Roran was able to see the boy lift the wooden handle while he was falling, swinging it downwards as hooked and tore a bit of skin off Rorans cheek. The boy fell to the ground with a soft thud, as Roran held his cut cheek now, as it bled slowly… “That was a tricky one kid… you got me good” Roran said with a chuckle as he wiped off the blood with his thumb, as he held the spear with one hand now… The boy’s breathing was heavy, as sweat ran down his forehead, he gripped the wooden handle more tightly, slowly getting up from the grass. Roran sighed, looking down at the boy “Well come on, seems like you’re too tired, how about you just give u-” yet Roran couldn’t finish his sentence as the boy dashed forward, swinging his wooden handle straight for his neck “Earth Branch!” another voice called out, as a small pillar of earth erupted between the boy and Roran as it completely blocked the boy’s strike. The boy’s eyes widened, as he tried to back up but his wooden handle was hooked to the pillar, suddenly the pillar grew another branch that smashed right into his face, and his nose cracked as his eyes rolled to the back of his head before he fell to the ground, knocked out. Roran was left confused before he sighed, slowly speaking in the direction of the forest “You just had to get involved… Did you Ms. Golo…?” Roran spoke as he rubbed his eyes off the earth dust that erupted along with the pillar earlier. A short figure with a staff and the familiar jingle emerged from the bushes, it was no other than Lady Golo, the local WitchCrafter of the island “You spoke like you had it under control… it was clear as night and day that you would have broken a bone or two fighting the boy… he’s a wild one.” Lady Golo said as the frailness in her voice was heard, along with the sternness that came with age.
“So in the end… the boy wasn’t just some ‘frail weak boy’?” Roran mocked her with a chuckle as he waved his hands around in the air, letting the spear rest on his shoulder. Lady Golo only shook her head as she sighed, waving her staff around as the bell jingled, the small pillar of earth burying itself back into the ground now. “Shut up Roran… before I shut your jaw shut with dirt” Lady Golo gave Roran a sharp glare of her gray eyes, mumbling something in her breath as she slowly started to walk away. “Roran, Pick up the boy and bring him back… and also, you will stitch that tear in his clothes… they are mine after all and you caused it.” Roran’s eyes widened, as his waving hands stopped and his mocking voice faded away “W-Wait… they were your clothes?!” Roran spoke before Lady Golo glared at him “Yes they were you idiot… did you not see the spilled basket of clothes…? You’re such a buffoon sometimes…” Lady Golo snarked as she soon disappeared into the forest, leaving Roran with the knocked-out boy. Roran sighed, slowly sheathing his spear behind his back as he walked over to the laid-out boy on the grass, the first thing he did was take the wooden handle as he ripped the throwing knife out of it. He then walked over to the tree where he found another one of his throwing knives stabbed in it, gripping the wooden handle he ripped it out with ease, and he finally found the last throwing knife which was stuck in the boy’s apple. “Ew…” Roran said, taking out the knife as the apple juices dripped on his hand, quickly wiping it away along with wiping the blade of the throwing knife clean of the apple juices. “That darn Old Hag… I show her utmost respect… yet here she is treating me like a labored soldier… I mean the brat attacked me first!” Roran mumbled to himself, as he slowly walked over to the knocked-out boy, bending down as he picked him up with ease, and noticing how light he was, ‘so light yet he was able to give me a good cut, he’s got potential’ Roran thought as he felt the cut on his cheek throb now, a great reminder that he didn’t come out unscathed.
Roran simply walked the trail of dirt through the forest now, carrying the boy over his shoulder as he went on the long walk again through the forests of the lands, his mind slowly slipped into his thoughts as his body still kept moving, his sandals clacking against the few rocks on the dirt road. The birds were back with their chirping and singing, seemingly coming back after the fight was ended abruptly by Lady Golo, Roran just groaned… It’s been a while since he’s had a decent battle and clash, being the chief of protection meant he was the best in the combat area of these lands. Yet suddenly this random foreigner who looked no older than 16 brought it and even gave him quite the challenge, maybe he could finally find a worthy rival… yet his thoughts were interrupted as he stood in front of Ladys Golo’s hut now, walking in again and placing the boy on the bed again. He felt the cut on his cheek throb again, which annoyed him as he was forced to go treat it now, he walked out of the hut and back to his daily duties. It wasn’t soon before soft steps were heard as Lady Golo entered the room again, the bells of her staff jingling as she looked up at the boy. “Strange… when I used a spell there, it felt like he could track it… he just wasn’t fast enough to react to it…” Lady Golo let herself go into deep thought as she brought that singular moment which only lasted a few seconds, she cast the spell yet she could see the boy’s pupil move straight to the ground where he seemed to know what was about to happen. She felt the boy’s instincts kick in, yet his body failed to react in time… it was very strange and interesting, this boy was something rare to Lady Golo. Just who was he…? Some foreigner brought in by the local fisher of the lands, seemingly one of unknown origins that even she didn’t know. The boy… also felt cold, like no source of warmth was felt from him, Lady Golo just sighed as she slowly walked closer to her work table. Her feeble hands moved across the small jars of glass with powder stuffed into them, she tapped every single one until she picked one before walking to the boy again, sprinkling it onto his nose, the powder was a rosy red with bits of blue in it. The powder slowly sunk into the boy’s nose as it seemingly healed his broken nose without any further issues, Lady Golo sighed as she thought for a good moment now, as if things couldn’t get worse with the main Chief… along with this foreigner. She was getting old and frail, completely out of her prime now, she could only remember her glory days as an archmage… yet it was in the past now, nothing new to Lady Golo, she already knew her time was coming a long time ago.